Separating beauties from beasts

I Met Shaun Pulfrey, the Tangle Teezer Inventor (Plus Info on NEW Brushes!)

Recently, I was invited to attend an exclusive event unveiling the new Tangle Teezer Blow-Styling Hairbrush and Tangle Teezer Thick & Curly Detangling Hairbrush, which will be available at Sephora!

That in itself was exciting, but what put the cherry on top of my drool-inducing sundae was that Shaun Pulfrey, the man who invented the Tangle Teezer, was at the event! (When I received the invitation, I had to read that part several times to make sure that my myopic eyes weren’t deceiving me.)

Not only did I get to see Shaun Pulfrey, but I had the pleasure of watching him do a live demonstration showing the Tangle Teezer Blow-Styling Hairbrush in action. He also gave more detailed information about the entire Tangle Teezer line. Then, after the presentation, I swooped over to speak with him, snagged a photo op, and thanked him for inventing the brush that changed my hair life!

It’s not often that I get to shake the hand of a person who touched my life in some way, so this was a big deal to me, and I’m grateful for the opportunity.

I’m really happy to tell you that Shaun Pulfrey is a genuinely nice guy!

Sometimes when people achieve success or fame, it goes to their head, and they become snobbish, but that wasn’t the case with Shaun. My impression of him throughout the night is that he truly puts his passion and heart into his company and hair innovations. He radiated energy, and his animated spirit was infectious.

His mission, although not stated implicitly, seems to be that he wants to make hairstyling easier, faster, and more respectful of the hair’s condition. This is what I pieced together.

By the way, Shaun’s story is one that inspires me because he believed in himself and his invention, even when others initially didn’t.

I read an article about how he approached Dragons’ Den and asked them to invest in his brush. They turned him away, but he continued to pursue his dream, and now not only is he successful, but he has created a unique solution to a very real problem. (Check out this article, if you want all the details and if you want to be inspired.)

Keep reading the rest of my detailed post. I include the many things that I learned during the Tangle Teezer event, photos of the cute displays, and more information about the latest Tangle Teezer Blow-Styling Hairbrush!

The Tangle TeezerCompact Styler Detangling Brush changed my hair life, and if you followed me on Instagram a long time ago, you may remember running into a photo I posted of my leopard-printed Tangle Teezer that I bought from Sephora and gushed about. (That’s why when I heard that there was a new brush added to the line, I was excited to learn more!)

Only people who know me well, for many years, or who follow my blog and social media with hawk eyes know that my natural hair is curly.

To everyone else, they think that my hair is straight. Surprise: I only style it that way because, if you ask anyone with curly hair, they’ll tell you – straight hair is easier.

(The rare exception is perhaps the dude on the subway who is graced with Keri-Russell-esque curls, and when you approach him to ask for his hairstyling secrets, he just shrugs his shoulders and says nonchalantly, “I dunno. I wash it every few days with shampoo.” Yeah, this is a true story, and my eyes got wide and watery when I asked what conditioner or treatment he used, and he said that he didn’t use any! He used any shampoo that went on sale and just let his hair air dry. No fair! I want his happy curls that play nice! Wahhhh!)

While there was a short period of time when I wore my curly hair natural on a daily basis, it was just too much work for my lifestyle.

When I was a little kid in elementary school, my mom spent a long time helping me to straighten it. But when I was a baby, obviously she didn’t tamper with my hair texture, and she left it natural, even though the neighbours actually commented one day and told her, “You know, you shouldn’t perm your baby’s hair!” Haha, and they continued to believe that instead of the truth for years. (It’s unsettling to me how quick people are to believe self-fabrications, even when presented with the truth…)

Back to the Tangle Teezer!

Up until I discovered the Tangle Teezer, not one single brush was able to comb through my natural hair without yanking at it or, to my embarrassment, getting stuck. And forget combs. They would easily break.

Even at professional salons, hairdressers have to struggle and use a large round brush to get it smooth. (The guy I go to who always cuts my hair told me during my recent trip, “Your hair fights back!” as he tried to tame it with the traditional method of applying tension with a brush.)

To say that I was impressed with the effortless way that the Tangle Teezer detangling brush glided through my knotty (hehe, naughty) naturally textured and frizzy hair dry or wet is an understatement. I had never experienced that feeling before! Needless to say, the Tangle Teezer brush has secured a prominent spot in my bathroom, and I reach for it often during my daily hair routine.

More from Shaun Pulfrey’s Presentation

I learned that he began his career as a colourist, but only later stepped into the hairstyling world.

He saw a void in the industry that needed to be filled because hair was getting damaged from hairstylists and consumers being too rough on their tresses. That’s also probably why many styling products incorporate hair treatments, he suggested.

What was really interesting is how he used a clever analogy of toothbrushes and aligned it with hairbrushes. He mentioned that many people will readily change their toothpaste and try a new one, but a lot of people have a favourite toothbrush that they won’t quickly toss. In the hair realm, you might be quick to try a new mousse, shampoo, or hairspray, but tools like brushes and hairdryers might remain constants in your routine.

It’s time to look more closely at the tools we use and switch them out for ones that are more effective and that help to reduce the amount of damage that we inflict on our hair!

As a person who has curly, frizzy, and damaged hair, this idea really spoke to me. Also, I prefer using things like argan oil to improve my hair’s condition instead of piling on styling products that can leave a gross, sticky film that makes me feel unclean and that general drives me bonkers with the smell.

Shaun Pulfrey designed the new Tangle Teezer Blow-Styling Hairbrush to smooth the hair without the need for styling products. (This piqued my interest and made my rabbit ears shoot up immediately because it’s such a different perspective than what I’ve heard people in hair circles say.)

He also clarified that his new brush isn’t a straightener. When you straighten your hair (such as with a flat iron like what I use), it leaves your hair limp, and it just presses your hair together. Additionally, it applies even more heat to your hair after you use a blowdryer.

The Tangle Teezer Blow-Styling Hairbrush smoothes the hair. Big difference. It leaves the hair smooth while maintaining body. Even those of us who have curly hair can get a smooth look. He did a live demonstration.

To prove that the brush was making the model’s hair straight and not some special styling aid, he only used a spray bottle filled with water to prep the hair. Then, he glided the brush through her hair while using a blowdryer.

I was impressed with how natural the finished look appeared!

The Result!

Left Side: Curly hair left alone

Right Side: Smoothing with just the brush and hairdryer

In the next few weeks, I’m going to be using the new brush and trying to achieve body with it. (I haven’t used it yet because, oh, the life of a beauty blogger! Hehe, I wanted to take photos of the brush looking brand new for the blog before my hair gets into its bristles.)

After the event, all the guests were treated to a swag bag, which I was excited about!

I don’t know if everyone got the same things, but my bag contained the:

Blow-Styling Hairbrush

Thick & Curly Detangling Hairbrush

Compact Styler Detangling Hairbrush

Here are some photos that I took of each brush and extra information.

Tangle Teezer Blow-Styling Hairbrush

It eliminates the need for straighteners and allows you to get salon-quality results in a brushstroke while leaving a silky, smooth finish. Additionally, it reduces the time it takes to blowdry your hair and produces less frizz.

Unlike the Tangle Teezers that came before it, this one has a handle because it’s meant to be used with a hairdryer.

It has a half paddle that’s ideal for those with short to medium hair, and it has a revolutionary design that allows free flow tension. This means that it doesn’t drag through your hair. It glides through effortlessly, which helps avoid damaging your hair.

Tangle Teezer Blow-Styling Hairbrush

Tangle Teezer Blow-Styling Hairbrush

Tangle Teezer Blow-Styling Hairbrush

Tangle Teezer Blow-Styling Hairbrush

Tangle Teezer Thick & Curly Detangling Hairbrush

The patented detangling brush is designed to glide gently through the hair to minimize breakage and stress. No pulling!

It features a concave shape to make it easier for you to handle the brush through dry or wet hair.

The bristles are composed of long and short teeth. The long ones remove knots and kinks and help to reduce breakage, while the short ones smooth the hair and make it glossy and frizz-free.

Since this version is meant for those with thick, curly, or Afro hair, the teeth are longer to help detangle even the knottiest (and naughtiest) of tresses!

Also, it has an ergonomic shape that’s meant to fit comfortably in the palm of your hand without slipping.

Tangle Teezer Thick & Curly Detangling Hairbrush

Tangle Teezer Thick & Curly Detangling Hairbrush

Tangle Teezer Thick & Curly Detangling Hairbrush

Tangle Teezer Compact Styler Detangling Hairbrush

The Compact Styler is for those who want to bring the brush with them wherever they go.

You can pop it into your purse or a bag without worrying that it’ll get damaged because there’s a pop-on cover to protect the bristles and to keep them clean.

It features the same ergonomic, palm-friendly, non-slip design as the brush I described above. The major differences is that this one has a cover, and it’s smaller.

Tangle Teezer Compact Styler Detangling Hairbrush

Tangle Teezer Compact Styler Detangling Hairbrush

Tangle Teezer Compact Styler Detangling Hairbrush

Tangle Teezer Compact Styler Detangling Hairbrush

Event Coverage

The Tangle Teezer event was held at Coldstream Fine Art, which is an art gallery in Toronto located at 80 Spadina Avenue (Suite 208).

On each table, there were pretty flowers, vases with sweet candy, and a bunch of brushes.

The candy wasn’t just for decoration, as we were invited to take the cute paper bags and fill them with the goodies! (I ended up getting an assortment of all the candies, as well as a large, round lollipop that reminded me of my childhood.)

Here’s the setup at another table:

And another!

Hope that you enjoyed learning more about the Tangle Teezer and ‘coming along’ with me to the event via my recap post! 🙂

Disclosure: The three Tangle Teezer brushes were provided to me by PR. This is NOT a sponsored post. (So far, I have never done any sponsored posts yet on the blog or on social media.)

Thanks for the info. Saw the smoothing brush on a TV show today but I can’t seem to find out where to buy one. They’re not on the Sephora website. Did anyone at that event happen to mention where these are/will be sold?

My pleasure – I had an incredible time at the Tangle Teezer event! Meeting Shaun Pulfrey was the highlight of my week, that’s for sure.

The two new brushes – Blow-Styling Hairbrush and the Thick & Curly Detangling Hairbrush aren’t yet available at Sephora. (That’s where they’re going to be available soon.)

This event I attended was an exclusive pre-launch, I understand.

As for the exact date of when it’ll be released, I’m not sure, but I’ll shoot over an e-mail to the crew and see if I can get more specific information for you. Stay tuned – I’ll reply to this comment again after I hear back from them.

I heard back from PR and was told that the new Blow-Styling Hairbrush should be available at Sephora in the next month. However, PR is going to get back to me about the official launch date with pricing in the next day or so. I’ll leave another reply to your comment when I get the information.